Self-adjusting trolley for electric railways.



PATENTED SEPT. 6, 1904. U. G. BENSON. SELF ADJUSTING TROLLEY FOR ELECTRIC RAILWAYS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.19, 1902.

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ggwsais UNITED STATES Patented September 6, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

SELF-ADJUSTING TROLLEY FOR ELECTRIC RAILWAYS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 769,462, dated. September 6, 1904.

Application filed November 19, 1902, Serial No. 132,016, No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES C. BENSON, of N ewburyport, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in'SelfAdjusting Trolleys for Electric Railways, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to trolleys for electric railways, and has particularly in view an improved self-adjusting trolley embodying a novel mounting of the trolley-wheel whereby the latter will readily accommodate itself to the wire and automatically assume positions in conformity with the plane of the latter, whereby the possibility of the trolley jumping the wire is reduced to a minimum.

To this end the invention primarily contemplates a novel and practical improvement in the trolleywheel mounting whereby the same will perfectly adapt itself to the wire, particularly in the rounding of curves of any degree, and which will automatically resume a centered position with reference to its support or carrying member when the straight stretch of wire is again reached.

In the attainment of the above object the invention contemplates the hanging of the trolley-wheel upon its support in such a manner that the same will freely turn or adjust itself upon a vertical axis and will automatically be restored to a centered position when relieved from lateral stress or strain such as is incident to the rounding of a curved section of the conductor or trolley-wire.

\Vith these and many other objects in view, which will more readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts which will be hereinafter more fully described, illustrated, and claimed.

The essential features of the invention involved in the swiveled mounting of the trolley-wheel upon a vertical axis and the provision of means for automatically returning it to a centered position are necessarily susceptible to some modification without departing from the spirit of the invention; but a preferred embodiment of the latter is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a self-adjusting trolley. Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof, indicating in dotted lines the relative position which the wheel may assume with reference to the trolley pole or support. Fig. 3 is a detail elevation of the upright swiveled bearing-fork for the trolley-wheel. Fig. 4 is a detail elevation of the hanger-bracket carried by the trolley-pole and designed for the swiveled support of the bearing-fork. Fig. 5 is a detail view of the swivel-pin which provides for coupling the bearing-fork to the hanger-bracket. Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view on the line 6 6 of Fig. 1, showing a modified arrangement of centering-spring that may be employed for yieldingly holding the trolleywheel in centered position with reference to its support and for returning it to such position after lateral deflection, as in rounding curves.

Like reference-numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

In carrying out the invention no special change is involved in the mounting of the trolley-pole, (designated in the drawings by the numeral 1;) but to provide for the selfadjusting support of the trolley-wheel there is associated with the trolley-pole a hangerbracket 2. This hanger-bracket 2 may be constructed in any suitable manner, but is preferably in the form of a casting having an attaching socket member 3 rigidly fitted to the upper end of the trolley-pole in any suitable manner and in addition to the member 3, which provides for the support of the bracket by the trolley-pole, the said bracket is further provided with a pendent carrying-arm 4, provided with a pair of 'ertically-alined offstanding paralled sLmporting-ears 5, in which is fitted an upright swiveled pin 6, constituting a swiveled support for the journal-collar 7, provided at the base of the upright swiveled bearing-fork 8. The journal-collar '7 is provided therein with a pivot-hole 9, loosely taking over the swiveled pin 6, and thereby providing for swiveling the bearing-fork to the hanger-bracketi between the vertically-alined supporting-ears 5 thereof. The said upright swiveled bearing-fork 8 essentially consists of the base-section constituting the journalcollar 7 and the pair of upright parallel cheek members 10, supporting the stationary wheelaxle 11, upon which is rotatably mounted the usual metallic grooved trolley-wheel 12, which engages with the trolley-wire.

The hanger-bracket 2 has suitably secured or arranged at the end portion thereof adjacent to the trolley-wheel a segmental guardhead 13, consisting of a flared plate or body which is disposed in proximity to the wheel and acts in the capacity of a guard therefor. The guard head or projection 13 in connection with the adjacent parts of the pole constitute a guard for shielding the swiveled fork or supplemental section, as it may be termed, from cross-wires, the said guard being so arranged and formed as to provide for deflecting a cross wire vertically over the trolley. In connection with the use of the term supplemental section as applied to the swiveled fork member it will be observed that the trolley-pole may be said to essentially comprise a lower section and a supplemental section swiveled thereon in connection with the other features specified.

By reason of the mounting described for the bearing-fork 8 the latter is free to turn or oscillate upon a vertical axis, thereby permitting the wheel to be carried by the fork to freely adjust itself to curved or other portions of the trolley-wire, and the bearing-fork and the wheel mounted therein are yieldingly held in and returned to a centered position through the medium of a centering device, preferably in the form of a spring 14. In the construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings the centering-spring 14 preferably consists of a coiled spring-section connected at one end, as at 15, to a lug 16 or other fixed point of attachment upon the trolley-pole or the stationary hanger-bracket, and at its other end is connected centrally, as at 17, to the closed side of a pull-yoke 19. This pull-yoke 19 is preferably of U form, and is suitably connected at its extremities to the attaching-ears or equivalent points of connection 20 upon the opposite cheek members 10 of the bearing-fork. The construction described necessarily provides for retracting the bearing-fork and the trolley-wheel to a centered position after being moved to either sidle of the longitudinal plane of the trolleypo e.

Other spring arrangements may obviously be employed for securing the result n0ted such, for instance, as the employment of a single-bowed leaf 21, as indicated in Fig. 6 of the drawings. In such modification the bowed spring 21 may be secured fast at an intermediate point to the hanger-bracket 2 and arranged to have its opposite free ends bear against the opposite cheek members 10 of the bearing-fork.

From the foregoing it is thought that the construction, operation, and many advantages of the herein-described trolley will be readily apparent without further description, and it will also be understood that changes in the form, proportion, and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or sacrificing any of the advantages thereof.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is

1. In a self adjusting trolley, a hangerbracket carried by the trolley-pole and provided with a pendent member having a pair of offstanding vertically-alined supportingears, a swivel-pin fitted to the support-ears of the bracket, and an upright swiveled bearing-fork carrying the trolley-wheel and having at its base a journal-collar swiveled upon the said pin between the supporting-ears of the bracket.

2. In a self adjusting trolley, a hangerbracket carried by the trolley-pole, an upright swiveled bearing-fork carrying the trolley-wheel and swiveled to the bracket upon a vertical axis, a pull-yoke connected with the cheek members of the bearing-fork, and a centering-spring connected at one end with the pull-yoke and at its other end to a fixed point of attachment.

3. The improved trolley pole above described comprising a lower section, a supplemental section swiveled on the lower section, a trolley carried by the supplemental section, a bail connected at its ends with the supplemental section, and a spring connected at one end with the lower section of the pole and at its other end with the bail.

1. The improved trolley pole above described comprising a lower section, a supplemental section swiveled on the lower section, a trolley carried by the supplemental section, a guard for shielding the supplemental section, a bail connected at its ends with the supplemental section, a spring connected at one end with the bail and at its other end with the lower section of the pole.

5. The improved trolley pole above described comprising a lower section, a supplemental section swiveled on the lower section, a trolley carried by the supplemental section, a guard for shielding the supplemental section from cross-wires adapted to deflect a crosswire upwardly over the trolley, a bail pivotally connected at its ends to opposite sides of the supplemental section, and a spring connected at one end with the bail and at its other end with the lower section of the pole..

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHAS. G. BENSON.

Witnesses:

FRANK H. DAVIS, LEONARD S. DAVIs.

ITO 

